The Institute

UNITAR Achievements Report 2007-2009 now available online

The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) is making concrete contributions to developing the capacities of tens of thousands of people around the world. Since its inception in 1965, UNITAR has built sustainable partnerships acquiring unique expertise and accumulating experience and knowledge to fulfil its mandate. These accomplishments have enabled UNITAR to respond to the growing demand from UN Member States for training for capacity development in the fields of Environment; Peace, Security and Diplomacy; and Governance.

As an autonomous body within the United Nations system, UNITAR is governed by a Board of Trustees and is headed by an Executive Director. The Institute is supported by voluntary contributions from governments, intergovernmental organizations, foundations, and other non-governmental sources.

A forward-looking vision

A transformation process was initiated in 2007 with the goal of upgrading the institutional structure and enabling the Institute to increase its future contribution towards addressing emerging training and capacity development needs of beneficiaries.

Many UN entities offer training on themes of relevance to their respective mandates. None of them, however, offers the expertise on how best to deliver this training, how best to capture and retain knowledge and how best to build upon it. UNITAR is therefore concentrating on the means of delivering adult training and professional learning; how to monitor and evaluate their impact on behaviour; and how to capitalize on capacity development.

In that vein, a set of strategic priorities was formulated in view of making UNITAR the calling card of the United Nations system when it comes to knowledge transfer through training on cutting edge issues, adult learning methodologies and professional training.

In addition, UNITAR conducts research on knowledge systems to explore innovative and modern approaches for high-quality training, with the goal to be a centre of excellence, measured by international standards. By doing so, the work of the Institute is benefiting to our other partners and to the entire United Nations system in its drive towards a more integrated delivery framework.

Our Mission

In Focus

UNOSAT intensifies analysis over Libya as humanitarians step up efforts to assist civilians trapped in conflict

More than 15 analytical maps and reports have been produced by the UNOSAT team of satellite analysts in support to various UN humanitarian agencies and the UN Humanitarian Air Service since March. As the situation deteriorated due to the intensifying military activities in and around various cities on the coast, larger numbers of civilians found themselves trapped in conflict areas sometimes subject to heavy shelling, with slim chances to be reached by humanitarian relief or evacuated to safer areas. Read More

Introduction to Security Sector Reform

The UNITAR Peacekeeping Training Programme (PTP), in partnership with the International Security Sector Advisory Team (ISSAT), is happy to announce the launch of the first ever e-learning course on security sector reform. This much awaited course combines the experience and knowledge of ISSAT and the interactive and online educational expertise of UNITAR. The course has been developed from ISSAT’s Level 1 Basic course on SSR, and is recognized by both organizations with UNITAR/ISSAT certification. Read More

UNITAR Transparency and Anti-Corruption Study Trip to Singapore

Developing nations are faced with systemic and interconnected political, administrative, economic, and social challenges. Key issues related to those challenges include misconceptions about transparency and accountability within their public sectors, which allows for self-perpetuating corruption.

The UNITAR Transparency and Anti-corruption Study-trip 2011 provided learning opportunities to 17 selected senior representatives of Afghanistan’s Public Service by taking them to Singapore to observe various government and not-for-profit organizations implementing state-of-the-art transparency systems or involved in anti-corruption best-practices research and development. Throughout the programme, a special focus was given to the relationship between transparency and development.

Beneficiaries up 33% in 2010

UNITAR reached out to 23,688 beneficiaries in 2010, representing a 33 percent increase from 2009. This figure is inclusive of all types of events, from training and training related courses and workshops to meetings, conferences, lectures and other “out-reach” type of events.

UNITAR around the World